Breaking down Lakers' loss in Barcelona

Kobe Bryant played 25 minutes and asked back in late in the game, which was good news for the Lakers regarding his surgically repaired right knee. The bad news: Almost everything in Bryant's game was just out of reach, as was this ball he tried to get from FC Barcelona's Ricky Rubio.TEXT BY KEVIN DING, THE REGISTER; AP PHOTO

It was the closest thing the world will get to a world basketball championship with real teams: the NBA champion Lakers visiting the Euroleague champs, Regal Fc Barcelona.

It was enough to get Phil Jackson and the Lakers to try much harder than they did in their exhibition-debut defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves in London on Monday. It wasn't enough – despite Kobe Bryant and the Lakers' other four starters playing the final five minutes – to get a victory.

Kobe Bryant played 25 minutes and asked back in late in the game, which was good news for the Lakers regarding his surgically repaired right knee. The bad news: Almost everything in Bryant's game was just out of reach, as was this ball he tried to get from FC Barcelona's Ricky Rubio. TEXT BY KEVIN DING, THE REGISTER; AP PHOTO
This was the best part of Bryant's game: standstill shooting. He hit this technical foul shot and scored 11 of his 15 points from that spot. His took shot after shot from the field with the usual Kobe high degree of difficulty and was almost always off. TEXT BY KEVIN DING, THE REGISTER; AP PHOTO
Barcelona's own Pau Gasol dominated early but faltered thereafter. No doubt part of it was mentally running out of gas after having to be "on" day and night since Tuesday while the team was in his hometown with so many demands on his time. TEXT BY KEVIN DING, THE REGISTER; AP PHOTO
It was one of the few intense exhibition games you'll see, with several physical moments including this one with Shannon Brown landing on Juan Carlos Navarro. Brown didn't build off his fine game in London, as he and fellow backup guard Steve Blake were a combined minus-21 (the team's worst) while on the floor. TEXT BY KEVIN DING, THE REGISTER; AP PHOTO
Rookie Devin Ebanks (left) got advice from veteran Derek Fisher here, and Ebanks and fellow rookie Derrick Caracter needed it. Both were outclassed in this game in their first raucous NBA environment, tentative with most moves instead of being decisive. It wasn't surprising. TEXT BY KEVIN DING, THE REGISTER; GETTY IMAGES PHOTO
Bryant missed his first nine shots and repeatedly forced the action in the final minutes to no avail. Phil Jackson said afterward: "He's not ready to play. He's going out there to help the goodwill (of the NBA) and to show the fans his presence on the floor and support his teammates.” TEXT BY KEVIN DING, THE REGISTER; AP PHOTO
Bryant struggled to stop a fired-up Pete Mickeal, who sensed Bryant's knee weakness and went for the kill in a way that surely thrilled his old college coach Bob Huggins. Mickeal had a game-high 26 points. But the worst of Bryant's defense came when he just stood there with the top of his jersey in his mouth and failed to help properly as Navarro got by Ron Artest and waltzed down the lane for an 81-76 Regal FC Barcelona lead. TEXT BY KEVIN DING, THE REGISTER; AP PHOTO
The highlight of the game for the Lakers was this ferocious wraparound dunk over two defenders by Gasol. TEXT BY KEVIN DING, THE REGISTER; AP PHOTO
Brown didn't play well but still got some extra playing time when Sasha Vujacic got benched. Vujacic was so out of sorts he couldn't even make a simple pass in the second half. Jackson also experimented with Fisher -- instead of Bryant, Brown, Vujacic or Matt Barnes -- alongside Steve Blake in the backcourt. If Blake blossoms, that formation could be used a lot against smaller backcourts with Fisher mostly spotting up for jumpers. TEXT BY KEVIN DING, THE REGISTER; GETTY IMAGES PHOTO
Fisher (12 points on 4-of-5 shooting) was the most efficient player on the court for the Lakers. He even set up Bryant twice for easy inside looks in the second half. But Bryant was so off his game that he biffed both opportunities. TEXT BY KEVIN DING, THE REGISTER; GETTY IMAGES PHOTO
Think the Lakers might have to watch out for overworking Lamar Odom while Andrew Bynum heals? Odom played 41 minutes. He was the only starter out there to anchor the bench unit to start the fourth quarter -- a time when the last Lakers bench regularly frittered away leads. This time, the bench played good enough defense to stay even, but the Lakers were awful on offense with the group of Blake, Vujacic, Odom, Theo Ratliff and Matt Barnes.
Odom at times looked like the best player on either team, same as against Minnesota, but he characteristically didn't attack that much on offense. He might have to more when playing alongside Ratliff, who got set up neatly on consecutive possessions by Blake and Odom but was too limited to make anything happen. TEXT BY KEVIN DING, THE REGISTER; GETTY IMAGES PHOTO
At least Kobe had fun. But no doubt, this was one of games his critics could watch and loathe as he tried to take over when he wasn't ready to take over. He missed two 3-pointers down the stretch and was 0 for 6 for the game; the Lakers were 0 for 14 from deep overall. TEXT BY KEVIN DING, THE REGISTER; GETTY IMAGES PHOTO
It wasn't difficult to find photos of Gasol being double- or triple-teamed in the second half ... taking him out of rhythm. TEXT BY KEVIN DING, THE REGISTER; GETTY IMAGES PHOTO
Afterward, Gasol said: "The fans enjoyed it, and the atmosphere was spectacular. We lost, but when your friends win you have to be happy for them." Guess the Lakers aren't too broken up over the losing the pseudo-world championship, eh? They head home Friday to get back on Pacific time and don't have another exhibition game until Wednesday night in Las Vegas against Sacramento. TEXT BY KEVIN DING, THE REGISTER; AP PHOTO

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